Bible Strands
Luke 3:8
Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — John the Baptist addresses the crowds coming to his baptism, confronting their claim of ethnic election after warning them to flee the coming wrath. He speaks immediately before declaring that unfruitful trees will be cut down and thrown into fire.
The words — ποιήσατε (poiēsate) means "produce" or "do," and καρποὺς (karpous) literally means "fruits." John pairs these terms to command visible action that aligns with a change of mind.
The thread — This demand for life change echoes Ezekiel 18:27, where turning from wickedness saves a life, and Acts 26:20, where repentance is declared to Jews and Gentiles alike. It also parallels Isaiah 1:16, which commands cleansing and the cessation of evil deeds.
Why it lands — The text commands observable conduct that matches internal repentance, explicitly rejecting ancestral privilege as a substitute for moral transformation. It forces each listener to evaluate their own life rather than rely on inherited status.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
Cross-references
- Ezekiel 18:27 But if a wicked man turns from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will save his life.
- Acts 26:20 First to those in Damascus and Jerusalem, then to everyone in the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I declared that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds worthy of their repentance.
- Isaiah 1:16 Wash and cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil!
- Matthew 21:43 Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.
- Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
- Hebrews 6:7 For land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is tended receives the blessing of God.
- Joshua 4:3 and command them: ‘Take up for yourselves twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan where the priests were standing, carry them with you, and set them down in the place where you spend the night.’”
- Luke 19:40 “I tell you,” He answered, “if they remain silent, the very stones will cry out.”
- Romans 4:16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may rest on grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.
- Philippians 1:11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.